A NORTH Berwick film-maker’s acclaimed documentary can be viewed on the BBC.

Mike Day spent five years making The Islands and the Whales, in the Faroe Islands, in the North Atlantic.

The documentary highlights a community grappling with the loss of a centuries-long tradition of whale hunting and eating, as evidence builds of modern-day toxicity in whale meat leading to neurological illnesses.

The film also shows a press conference in the islands where TV star Pamela Anderson protests against whale hunting but Mike was determined to go beyond the headlines and find out more about the feelings of the Faroese community.

But he had to work hard over several years to gain the trust of the community, some of whom had threatened to smash his cameras if he tried to film a whale hunt.

Mike’s film has received industry recognition, including winning the prestigious Peabody Award for best documentary, and claimed success at the annual New York documentary film festival, DOC NYC.

Mike, 41, who also founded Intrepid Cinema, said: “I met a group of Faroese sailors while I was shooting my previous film The Guga Hunters of Ness for BBC Scotland.

“They wondered what we were doing out there in the gales north of the Isle of Lewis!

“When we told them about the seabird hunters, they were keen to show us their own hunting, as they are one of the very few places to eat seabirds. 

“It soon emerged their story was about a lot more than hunting seabirds and whales.

“Their seabirds were in rapid decline, the birds’ food sources gone and their bellies full of plastic; while the whales were so riddled with mercury and PCBs that they were toxic to eat.

“It seemed these faraway islands had a story we all needed to hear; the pollution was coming from us, not from the Faroes.”

And he added: “There couldn’t have been a film without the Faroese community; in time, we were really embraced and it was incredibly moving how much people supported us.

“As much as they defend the hunting against outside criticism, they know that it is deeply unpopular outside of the Faroes, but there was a feeling amongst many that this was a tradition that would end, and that it should be documented.

“Most of the Faroese population have vastly reduced the amount of whale they eat, so there were others, including our main characters, who wanted the film to send a message to the world that the Faroes were a warning to us all, that they may be the first to feel the effects of how badly polluted the seas are, but if we don’t act now, we’ll be next.”

The Islands and the Whales was originally shown on BBC Scotland on December 15. It is available to view on the BBC iPlayer until January 14.